by Ian Marshall, Editor

Safely through the group stage without blemish, at the quarter-final stage of the junior boys’ team event Kuang Li, Liu Yebo and Xie Congfan accounted for the host nation’s Yanapong Panagitgun, Veerapat Puthikungasern and Wattanachai Samranvong, before overcoming Belgium’s Nicolas Degros, Olav Kosolosky and Adrien Rassenfosse to reserve their place in the final.

Emphatic wins it was the same in the final; no charity was displayed in opposition to the Singaporean combination of Josh Chua Shao Han, Pang Yew En Koen and Beh Kun Ting. The title secured in style, the only players test the Chinese outfit were Yanapong Panagitgun and Beh Kun Ting. At the quarter-final stage Yanapong Panagitgun had extended Kuang Li to five games (11-6, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7), as had Beh Kun Ting in the final when opposing Xie Congfan (8-11, 11-13, 12-10, 11-6, 11-7).

Runners up spot for Singapore, a worthy outcome, a direct entry to the semi-final round; they booked their place in the title decider courtesy of a 3-0 win in opposition to India’s Raegan Albuquerque, Deepit Patil and Manush Utpalbhai Shah.

Meanwhile, in the cadet boys’ team event, a direct entry to the semi-finals, a 3-1 win was recorded against the combination of Iran’s Navid Shams who lined up alongside the Czech Republic’s Simon Belik and Stepan Brhel. The player to cause the problems was Navid Shams; he beat Lin Shidong (11-7, 11-9, 11-4).

A place in the final booked, once again a 3-1 margin of victory; this time in opposition to Hong Kong’s Yiu Kwan To, Yu Nok and Baldwin Chan Ho Wah; however, it could have been much closer. In the opening contest Lin Shidong beat Yiu Kwan To by the very narrowest of margins (11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-9), before Yu Nok levelled matters by overcoming Chen Yuanyu (13-11, 11-7, 16-14).

Matters level, Huang Youzhen steadied the ship by beating Baldwin Chan Ho Wah (11-6, 11-9, 12-14, 11-9), before Chen Yuanyu defeated Yiu Kwan To (9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-9) to end matters.

Notably, in the opposite half of the draw, Yiu Kwan To, Yu Nok and Baldwin Chan Ho Wah had recorded a 3-1 quarter-final success against India’s Vishwa Deenadayalan, Aadarsh Om Chhetri and Divyash Srivastava, prior to emerging successful in a full distance five match contest in opposition the Korea Republic’s Gil Minseok, Kim Junhyeok and Kim Minwoo.

Attention now turns to the individual events, play concludes in Bangkok on Sunday 19th May.